Merry Christmas

The Kings-Tulare-Kern Yarn Mavens wish everyone a very Merry Christmas...

May we all have a wonderful fiber filled New Year!

Kerry said...

"Size doesn't matter"*

Saturday turned out to be an outstanding day...Suzanne, MaryAnn, Virginia, Gail, Kerry (from Visalia), Sabrina (of Anzula from Fresno), Joyce, Jane, Darcy, Vicky and Ruth gathered at the local California Pizza Kitchen for our once a month meet up.

We gathered and ate and then retired to the porch for some yarny goodness. I didn't hear any complaints about the food...Waldorf Salad was wonderful and so was the lemonade (that's what I had).



Sabrina, of Anzula in Fresno, brought a load of her hand dyed yarns for us to pet, smell (yes, I said smell) and fondle...and that's just what we did. She has socks knitted up in her yarns so that we could see how it knitted up, smart idea!

Sabrina showed us yarns with camel, yak, mohair, merino, cashmere, alpaca...

Most of us went home with at least one beautiful skein while others were followed by more...

Kerry showed us his new drop spindle and what a beauty it is. You'll have to contact him for more information there. On Ravelry he is 'gnewgnitter'.

Here are a few photos...

Joyce and Jane petting yarn...


Virginia, Sabrina and MaryAnn ~ looking at the knitted socks

Mary Ann and Suzanne looking over Roving with Sabrina


Suzanne, Vicky and MaryAnn ~ commenting on the colors (Sabrina does a wonderful dye job)




* Get your mind out of the gutter...we were discussing drop spindles!

Chatting, Sharing and Learning

This morning four of our group got together at the local Borders Bookstore cafe for a weekly get together.

Virginia brought to share two pairs of socks that she knitted for her husband in the mid-50's. Both argyle and both outstanding ~ the workmanship! The stitches are so small and even...if only

Suzanne shared a wallaby (hooded sweatshirt type of sweater) that she is knitting for her granddaughter...gorgeous yarn in additon to putting her own stamp on the pattern with cableing...another heirloom.

Patty showed us her monkeys...sock pattern by Cookie A. (one I will definitely have to try)...

And me, Ruth (in case no one knows me), I worked on the toe of the hat heel socks (a pattern from www.knitty.com)...I just need to kitchener the toe and then work on the legs...

EXCITING ~

This Saturday the KTK Yarn Mavens will be getting together for their 'one Saturday a month get together' at California Pizza Kitchen on Stockdale Hwy in Bakersfield. It looks like we will have a pretty good turnout which is always nice. Sabrina, of Anzula in Fresno, will be our guest. Sabrina spins, dyes and knits (and probably a few other crafty things to that we'll find out Saturday).

STAY TUNED ~

January 2010 will mark the 2nd Anniversary of our group. Pretty good for a bunch who met online through www.ravelry.com don't you think! We need to have a party! Any suggestions?

Halloween Road Trip to Exeter

Today, Halloween 2009, some members of our group made a road trip to Exeter which is about an hour and half north of Bakersfield.

Why? The Handweavers of the Valley were celebrating 30 years of Fiber Fantasies with a Show and Sale at the Exeter Veteran's Memorial Building in Exeter, California.

Gail, Jane and Cassie got there a bit earlier than Suzanne, Mary Ann, Christy and Ruth.

It's been said that Cassie walked out of the sale with an alpaca bear...we'll hav,e to see if we can get a photo of her and the bear...sounds absolutely delicious.

Most of us made purchases of yarn and fiber of one sort or another.

There were demonstrations throughout the day and it was interesting to see wool go from a roving to yarn. Makes one contemplate taking up spinning...hmmm

I saw shawls, jackets, mug rugs, placemats and throw rugs among the items that were on display and for sale that some guild members had made with a weaving loom. Lovely workmanship!


Gail, Jane and Cassie enjoyed lunch at the local A&W before heading back to Bakersfield.

Before Suzanne, Christy, Mary Ann and Ruth headed for home they decided to try a local cafe, The Wildflower Cafe on E Street. We lunched on the outdoor patio. While heading for the road home they noticed several murals painted on the sides of buildings...outstanding and beautiful work.

It was nice seeing our "old friends" Carole and Brenda of Dulitz Christmas Tree Farm and of course Ann who demonstrated her new little spinning wheel. The wheel is so small it could be put in a car..."Okay honey, I'll just sit here and spin while you drive."

Dyeing Day at Dulitz

The Fruits of Our Labor

Yesterday 15 knitters and spinners converged on Carol, the owner of Dulitz Christmas Tree Farm in Springville, California.

Why? Yarn Dyeing! Potluck lunch! Spinning! Camaraderie!

Carol runs a yarn shop out of her log cabin most of the year and a gift shop during the Christmas Tree season. She and Bren graciously gave of their time to teach our group how to dye and overdye yarn.

Dyeing is a messy job but boy was it fun...just watching the white yarn take the different colors was amazing.

While some of us were dyeing Sabrina, Darin and Ann were spinning their hearts away.

We enjoyed a potluck lunch in the shade with a nice cool breeze. Potlucks are always great ~ you never know what you're going to have.

Carol ~ a big thank you for opening your shop and allowing us to bombard you.

Bren ~ a big thank you for helping us choose colors and going over the process with us (Carol was busy running from one place to another).

Here are a few photos of our day.



Carol going over the process with Suzanne and Shirley

Jane and her daughter Cassie ~ Cassie dyed a sock blank to her liking with her colors.


Christy having some fun!



Ruth overdyed some beautiful gold yarnGail getting a tip from Carol


Jen's dyeing was accidently done solarly...while waiting for the microwave it was heated in the sun and turned out beautifully. With the temperatures in Bakersfield in the triple digits this part should be easy during the summer!

Sabrina spinning on her wheel while Darin showed us buttons that he made from different sources (antlers and different woods). Darin's lovely wife, Wendy was beaming. Darin also spins some lovely yarn that we all got to pet.

Kern County (California) Fair 2009

Seven members of the KTK Yarn Mavens submitted knitted items to the local county fair. And guess what? We each came home with a ribbon!

19 Ribbons in all!

Wow!

We submitted knitted toys, knitted socks, knitted sweaters, knitted bags.

Let's see if I can get this straight (of course if I don't I'll hear about it real fast).

Suzanne ~ Knitted Wallaby ~ 1st Place Blue Ribbon
Knitted Cashmere Shawl ~ 1st Place Blue Ribbon
Knitted Peace Flower Sweater ~ 1st Place Blue Ribbon (not only did Suzanne knit this sweater but she designed it also)
Knitted Scarf ~ 3rd Place White Ribbon
Knitted Blanket ~ 2nd Place Red Ribbon
Knitted Bunny and Sweater ~ 2nd Place Red Ribbon
Crocheted Baby Dress ~ 1st Place Blue Ribbon

Christy ~ Knitted Penelope (toy) ~ 3rd Place White Ribbon
Knitted Baby Booties ~ 3rd Place White Ribbon
Knitted Tam ~ 3rd Place White Ribbon

Patty ~ Knitted Bear Sweater ~ 2nd Place Red Ribbon
Knitted Pink Sweater ~ 3rd Place White Ribbon

Mary Ann ~ Knitted Stacking Puppies ~ 1st Place Blue Ribbon
Knitted Tam ~ Honorable Mention Pink Ribbon
Knitted Bat ~ Honorable Mention Pink Ribbon

Virginia ~ Knitted Sweater ~ 2nd Place Red Ribbon

Gail ~ Knitted Sweater ~ Honorable Mention Pink Ribbon

Ruth ~ Knitted Socks ~ 1st Place Blue Ribbon


I'm sorry if I've messed up...stay tuned for a retraction...

I think we all had a great time knitting our items, submitted them to the fair to be judged (although we've heard that sweaters, shawls, etc., were not even opened during the judging), and then we all arranged to pick them up at the same time and have a photo op!

Okay people ~ are you ready for the 2010 fair?

Don't we look like a happy group of winners! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Almost There

Well we're almost there.

1) Each person of our group who entered knitted items in the local Kern County Fair received at least one ribbon. (watch for photos)


2) Our October Meetup will be at Mimi's Cafe on California Ave in Bakersfield. We're hoping for a great turnout this month. The day is Halloween, the 31st. Remember members, we'll be done in plenty of time for you to get home and get your little kidlets ready to go trick or treating. Please don't forget to go to the events page and let us know that you are going to attend.

Kern County Fair

Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 23rd, is the first day of the 2009 Kern County Fair.

Quite a few of our members have entered knitted items this year.

Next Tuesday evening, September 29th, a group of us will be in the Fine Arts Building from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. knitting. If you'd like to join us we'd love to see you, after all, the more the merrier.

I, for one, am waiting patiently to see who won ribbons!

New Blogger

Our dear friend Ruth/Grandy has volunteered to be the new blogger! Thank you Ruth!

September 19th Meetup/SIPDay

Tomorrow Saturday, September 19th, is our monthly Yarn Mavens meetup. We'll be at Harrington Park on Rio Bravo from 12 noon until about 4pm. Bring a potluck dish to contribute, your latest projects for show and tell, and if you spin, bring your work. Saturday is also Spin in Public Day. We'll sit below the leafy trees to talk and knit/crochet/spin all afternoon. There are picnic tables, but a folding chair is definitely recommended. Suzanne said she'll provide all the paper goods and some drinks.
Saturday will be my last event with this wonderful group, since next weekend the moving truck arrives. But I'll be around on Ravelry to chat. plus, I'll get my camera fixed so you can see my work too. I've learned so much from you all.

This Blogger is Moving

I'm moving to Temecula in two weeks. So I'm looking for a new blogger to take my place. Anyone interested? pm me on Rav or email me here if you're interested.

More Local Yarn Stores

So I found a way to acquire photos from our other lovely local yarn stores and have posted their links today.
I noticed that the Bead and Yarn studio has some spiffy new yarns and we all know that's the place to go for Cascade 220.
ABC's of Creative Pursuits is featuring some beautiful Giant Skeins from Hand Painted and lots of organic Lana Grossa Linea Pura.
If any of that interests you, you know how to find it. I'm so glad to include our LYS here on our blog. I know so many of us do our best to support our community and its businesses. Plus, being able to feel and squish the yarns has always been the best way to decide which yarns to use for our latest projects.

Local Yarn Stores

So I added a section on the right hand edge for links to our Local Yarn Stores. Judy at Classy Knits and Yarns was the first one to send me a photo. Thank you Judy!
So if you click on her icon, you'll go straight to her store's website. The fall line of yarns and all those books you've been waiting for have arrived. so go check it out.

Dear ABC's of Creative Pursuits, and Bead and Yarn,
If you'd like your link on our page, please send me a picture of your store logo. I'll post it right away.
Sincerely, Stephanie

Shady Leafy Day

Our meetup at the park on Rio Bravo on July 25th was a great success, despite the blistering heat. The park had great shade trees, a covered patio and a playground for the kidlets. We had 11 people attend, including newcomers Bee and her friend (oh, I hope I don't have this wrong.) Emma? Tiffany joined us from Barstow along with us regulars, Suzanne, Jane, Jo, Christy, Ari, Myself, Joan and Ruth. I brought my family to play at the playground.
The potluck was delicious. Jane brought us cheese enchiladas. There were several yummy salads. Ari made stuffed eggs (deviled eggs are spiced, we learned.). Ruth brought brownies! ohhh yummy. and Bee brought strawberry cake. yum!
ok. I like food. :) hehehe.....
Jane showed us her blue and yellow fair-isle socks. Ari brought a bunch of baby sweaters, including a Baby Surprise. beautiful, but wow, how does that fold up? Tiffany was working on her triangular baby blanket. I had crocheted socks. yep. you can crochet socks.
Suzanne showed us her green sweater, with the fair-isle design that she designed herself. It was wonderful. She also brought her creamy cashmere shawl. I felt its lovely softness. The shawl was unusual because of it's construction. Not done in the usual top down row by row fashion, it was done in panels with tons of picked up stitch sections.
The August meetup location hasn't been settled on, but we're thinking about meeting by chat room. September and October will be held at the park.

Tuesday Knit Night Moved!

The Tuesday Knit Night that usually meets in the Southwest Library at 6pm has been moved to Suzanne Bryan's house for tonight. The library has reconsidered our use of their space, but Knitting Suzanne has graciously opened her home at this last minute. Please PM her on Ravelry for her address and phone number if you'd like to attend or email ktkyarnmavens@gmail.com and I'll see you get in contact with her.
Check the Ravelry thread or back here as a more permanent location is settled upon in the coming weeks.

July 25th Meet up Changes!!!

We're moving!
The next Yarn Mavens meet up on July 25th will have a new location.

****************
We booked the picnic area in Harrington Park on Rio Bravo for the July 25th meeting. The area has park tables with benches under a patio roof. It is surrounded by tall trees and about fifty or more from the parking lot. There is an area with swings and slides also under the shade trees. The kid section is fenced in with its own picnic table. We have an key card for the restrooms, as well.

We decided to bring lunch potluck style. so bring your favorite dish/lunch item to share with the group.
If we like it, we booked it for Sept and Oct too.

Thank you Joann/Elpsso for booking these plans for our group!
************************************************************

Karen from ABC’s of Creative Pursuits is going to give a talk about the upcoming trends and new stuff in the yarn world. It really should be quite good.

Our format is going to be a little different - from 12-1:00 we will have lunch for those who want to eat, then we can clear away the dishes and have knitting and talking starting at 1:00. Karen will start her presentation at 1:30, and then we can visit some more after the presentation.

So - Saturday July 25th - lunch at 12:00 - knitting starting at 1:00 - presentation at 1:30.

Stay tuned for the location.

WWKIPDay!

On Saturday June 13th, we celebrated World Wide Knit In Public Day at the Marketplace in Bakersfield, Ca.

We had over 20 knitters sitting in the shade working on various projects.
I had a great time knitting on the group blanket.
We got a couple more inches completed.
I also got a few rounds of my doily completed.

Suzanne was re-working her previously completed sweater.
There were plenty of socks being knit and a few pretty scarves.
Tiffany had a beautiful angular baby blanket in green tones.





Christy showed off her new knitting shirt, "I knit, so I don't kill people."
hehehe.... I think we all relate.
Suzanne covered the rest so very well, why try to re-write it. From Suzanne's Ravelry post:

"We got to visit with some old friends, meet some Ravelers who finally decided to join us in person, and meet several new people who have not had a chance to join Ravelry yet.

We met Brittany who teaches classes at Beverly’s, June and Stephanie who attend the monthly Wednesday Barnes and Noble class that Linda Phillips teaches. We met Linda/CardiSmarti too. We also met Virginia6915, Lunatone, BordeauxBeth, and Coollinda who are all on Ravelry, but new to one of our functions, and Coollinda’s friend Eileen from San Diego.

The person who came the furthest was Sybina, coming all the way from Las Vegas. Also coming from out of town were Mojaveknitter - from Barstow and KnottyKnitter40 from Edwards.

Then there were the old friends - jabezprayer, Dragonyady, Elpsso, Grandy, 661momof5, redpixisticks, morgaine1, and finally Ariliss who we hadn’t seen since our last WWKIP in 2008."

Dee Dee's Woven Life

At our May 16 meet up at the Double Tree Inn Cafe, Dee Dee King/weaverlyone spoke to our little group of ten about her lifelong study of weaving. Dee Dee, who travelled from Squaw Valley for our get together, has been weaving for 36 years and spinning for 15 years. She is a member of the Handweavers of the Valley in Exeter, Ca.

Which came first weaving or knitting? Weaving! The first weaving was in 5,000 BC in Egypt, but the first knitting wasn't till the 5th century AD when people started knitting socks.

Because weaving is such a structured art form, weavers are constantly in search of fibers with drape, and Dee Dee prefers natural fibers like rayon(a wood fiber), cotton and wool. She acquires her supplies from several sources. "Use the best materials you can afford," Dee Dee encouraged. Every January, she buys about 100 pounds from Webs, Woodland Woolworks and/or Yarn Barn because they sell the large cones of fine weight thread that she uses mostly.

Libraries have the best weaving books for beginning weavers. She brought two books to show us, The Weaving, Spinning, Dyeing Book by Rachel Brown and The New Key to Weaving by Mary Black. Dee Dee also recommends a monthly magazine called "Handwoven" by Interweave Press.

Her hard work is both enjoyable and profitable. She earns about $3,000/yr beyond just supplies selling her weavings at the Hand Weavers of the Valley Show and Sale in every year on the last Saturday in October at the Veteran's Memorial. Carole Dulitz will have a booth again this year too. (Thank you Dee Dee for the correct day of the sale!)

Perhaps you're like me wondering what will the public buy? like knitting, weaving is difficult to price. Dee Dee sells lots of woven dishtowels and other linens. A woven dishtowel will last forever if you're careful. Her dishtowels and place mats are four for $40. A baby blanket will run you about $45.

She also said that how you display your work counts for a lot; you can't simply pile things on a table top. Also, "I encourage you when you're doing your handwork to finish it beautifully. There's no sense in doing the work and having it fall apart," Dee Dee said. She recommends having small giveaway pieces to attract additional interest. She likes earth balls, which are felted little balls for cat toys, and mug rugs, a square coaster made from Pearle cotton. She was super nice and brought one for each of us and a set of four for Suzanne to enjoy.

Sometimes she sells custom order horse blankets, but her favorite weavings are wool rugs. She brought a beautiful one to show us.

Did you know the word shoddy is a weaving term? It describes a piece of weaving before it has been wet finished. Or I suppose like in knitting or crochet before blocking. So don't do shoddy work, always block your pieces.

We were curious about how Dee Dee made so many different size weavings. They are all different widths, so we thought she had to restring her looms for each time. But Dee Dee told us she has 11 floor looms at her home, in the garage and in the barn. "I don't sit and watch t.v." she said.

As you can imagine the start up cost for weaving is high, but Dee Dee shares her love of weaving by having weaving meetings at her home and enjoys teaching weaving to her students. Dee is a continuation school teacher for low-functioning special ed. students. "They love weaving," she said smiling; "My grandmother taught it as therapy to the guys after World War I." She has also taught potholder weaving at the Boy Scout Jamboree.

Fan of the Mavens

Hey everyone! I added the Followers widget to our page. Become a follower and be notified of new blog posts!

Our May Meeting

The next Yarn Mavens meet up will be on May 16th from 1 to 4pm at the Doubletree Inn Coffeeshop in Bakersfield. Food service shuts down from 2 until 4, so plan accordingly.

Suzanne has promised a surprise of some sort for us. Hmmm..... it's certainly got me curious! I can hardly wait to find out what's up. See you then!
***
Update! Dee Dee King/weaverlyone from Squaw Valley will give us a presentation on her experiences weaving, spinning and knitting. She has worked with fiber her whole life, and especially loves weaving. Dee Dee and Sandy/sandyspinslace both came from Squaw Valley to the Dulitz Tree Farm event this month. Her presentation is sure to be interesting. See you then!

Dulitz Tree Farm

So it seems I missed a fabulous time on Saturday out at the Dulitz Tree Farm in Springville. Did you? I certainly hope not.
I spot knitters.

I spot spinners.

I see shopping goodness. ooo... pet the yarn.

Someone will have to explain the horse. :) Because I'm sure there's a story involved.

Remember Christy promised brownie points if you could name everyone!

All in all, a wonderful afternoon was had by all, and I hear the food was drool-worthy with recipes floating around too.
The Yarn Mavens have one more monthly lunch meeting at the Bakersfield Doubletree or is it two more meetings? until our huge meet up on June 13 for World Wide Knit in Public Day. Mark your calendar.

Sit and Knit Saturday

The scent of Christmas trees and wildflowers wafts through the air. Comfy chairs set up in the warm spring sunshine. Fellow knitters are working nearby. What lovely ideas!

The Yarn Mavens will be travelling up to Springville on Saturday, April 4 to visit the Dulitz Tree Farm. We plan to meet at the farm at 11 am, and carpools are being arranged departing from Bakersfield, Hanford, Visalia and Porterville.

Carole Dulitz and her husband raise Christmas trees. In her downtime, she runs a yarn store that she opens for groups like ours. Carole’s is 5 miles after you turn off hwy 190 onto Balch Park Rd at the white barn.

If you want to attend, please bring a simple potluck dish to share with the group. Suzanne will supply the plates and such, and Carole will contribute the drinks.

The picture is from last summer's visit to the tree farm. Thank you to Ruth/Grandy for its use.

New Blog Mistress

Hello. I'm Stephanie, the new blog mistress. I'm going to be making changes and additions to this blog over the next couple weeks. If you need to reach me concerning the blog, email ktkyarnmavens@gmail.com. Thank you.